Margaret & Jim

Jim needed hearing aids. Boots said £3,500. NHS said 11 months. Then we found something we had to share.

January 3,2026

Share:

If you're over 65 and struggling with your hearing, you already know the situation.

GP refers you to audiology. Wait time? Eleven months in our area. Sometimes even longer.

Go private? Boots wants £3,500. Specsavers wants £2,500. Hidden Hearing won't even tell you the price until you've sat through their sales pitch.

Try Amazon? We did. Whistling, feedback, couldn't hear voices properly. Sent them back within a week.

That was us six months ago. Stuck between waiting a year or spending money we don't have.

Then our son David sent Jim a text.

"Dad, before you do anything, read this"

David had been watching Jim struggle for months.

The nodding along at family dinners. The TV volume creeping up. Me repeating myself ten times a day.

When we told him about the Boots quote, he went quiet. "£3,500?

Don't do anything yet. Let me look into it."

Two days later he came round for tea.

What David told us

"Mum, you know those £3,500 hearing aids at Boots? The actual technology inside seems to cost about £200 to make."

We didn't believe him at first.

He showed us his research on his laptop. Same chips. Same processors. Same components.

So where does the rest go?

Shop rent. Sales staff. Commissions. Marketing. Area managers. Shareholders.

"Private clinics have hundreds of stores mum. Someone's paying for all that. It's you."

We had no idea. Thought expensive meant better. Thought that's just what hearing aids cost.
It's not.

What he found

David had done his research. Proper research, the way young people do these days.

Found a UK company called HearWell. They sell direct. No shops. No salespeople. No markup.

£149 for a pair of hearing aids.

Not each. A pair.

"Pete's dad got them three months ago," David said. "Same problem as dad. Wears them every day. Says they're brilliant."

Same technology the expensive ones. Proper UK medical certification. 45-day trial - send them back if they don't work.

Jim wasn't convinced. "If they were that good, everyone would know about them."

"That's the point dad. Boots spends millions on advertising. These people don't. They just sell a good product for a fair price."

We were still skeptical

Of course we were. Sixty years of being told you get what you pay for.

But David kept at it. Showed us the reviews. Thousands of them. People our age saying the same things.

"Couldn't afford Boots. Couldn't wait for NHS. Tried these. Best decision I made."

"Why did nobody tell me about this sooner?"

"Wore them to my grandson's wedding. Heard every word of the speeches."

And his father-in-law Pete's dad. Not some stranger on the internet. Someone we know. Wearing them every day. No complaints.

"What's the worst that happens?" David said. "You send them back and you've lost nothing."

Jim looked at me. I looked at him.

"Fine. Order them."

They arrived in a few days

Proper packaging. Not some flimsy envelope.

Charging case. Five different ear tip sizes. Instructions in actual English. Little cleaning brush.

But here's what surprised us - right after Jim ordered, they sent him emails with video tutorials. Short ones. How to find the right ear tip. How to put them in properly. What to expect the first few days.

Jim watched them all before the box even arrived. "I actually know what I'm doing for once," he said. First time he's ever said that about technology.

Put them in. Tried a couple of different tips like the video showed. Found the right fit.

Turned them on.

No whistle. No screech. No feedback.

He looked at me. I was standing by the kitchen door, hadn't raised my voice.

"Say something."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Keep talking."

"Jim, I don't know what you want me to..."

"I can hear you. Properly."

First time in three years.

The first few weeks

What we didn't expect is how clever these things are.

They learn your hearing. Some sort of smart technology that adjusts itself - Jim didn't have to go back for "fine tuning appointments" like Boots wanted to charge extra for. They just worked it out.

And they know what you're doing. Watching telly, having a conversation, on the phone - it optimises for each one. Jim says the background noise just... disappears.

He can actually hear voices clearly now instead of everything being one big mush of sound.

He forgets he's wearing them half the time. That light. Charges them overnight like his phone, and they last all day. Over thirty hours apparently. Never once died on him.

The biggest thing? He stopped saying "what?" every five minutes. I didn't realise how exhausting that was until it stopped.

Three months later

Jim wears them every day now. Charges them overnight. Puts them in first thing.

He's back at golf. Back at the pub on Fridays. Back being part of conversations instead of pretending.
But it's the little things, really.

He answers the phone now. Used to let it ring out because he couldn't hear properly anyway.

He laughs at the right moments. Not two seconds late because he's trying to work out what everyone said.

He doesn't get tired by 4pm anymore. I didn't realise how exhausting it was for him - concentrating that hard just to follow a simple conversation. Now he's got energy again.

Last Sunday our granddaughter Emma whispered a secret in his ear. Actually whispered.

He heard every word.

He couldn't do that a year ago.

It's not just hearing. It's having him back.

David was right

We'd have waited eleven months for the NHS. Or spent our savings at Boots. Or just kept struggling.

Because we didn't know there was another option.

How many people are in that situation right now? Thinking they're stuck between a year-long wait and thousands of pounds?

That's why we're writing this. Because someone should tell them.

If you want to try them

Here's where we got Jim's:

https://gethearwell.co.uk/products/hearwell-comfort

£149 for the pair. 45-day trial at home, just send them back if they don't work. Free delivery, took about three days.

They're not for everyone. If you've got very severe hearing loss, you'd need proper medical help.

But if you're like Jim was - struggling in restaurants, TV creeping up, missing half of what the grandchildren say - it might be worth a try.

We nearly didn't bother. Nearly just accepted this was life now. Jim at 74, me repeating everything, both of us pretending it was fine.

Thank god David did his research.

If you've got kids or grandkids who are good with the internet, get them to look into it. They'll find the same thing David did. And if they don't, well, you've read this now.

You know there's another option.

Margaret & Jim x

P.S. - My friend Jean's husband finally got his NHS appointment through last week. Eighteen months he waited. He's going to cancel it. Ordered HearWell instead after seeing Jim's.

Comments (4)

Jean_54

18 Jan, 2026 at 11:14 am

Lovely post Margaret and Jim. This is so relatable! Sharing with my sister, her husband is just like Jim x😂

Title

JanR58

15 Jan 2026 at 1:16 pm

2 weeks with Hearwell now, amazing value! Returned my £2,400 Specsavers aids for full refund. These work just as well!! Should've found these sooner! Thx!

Title

Linda.W

10 Jan, 2026 at 9:16 am

My son sent me this article yesterday after I missed another important phone call. Just ordered HearWell with the discount. On pension so the £149 price really helps. Fingers crossed! Will update in a few weeks

Title

RobertJames

7 Jan, 2026 at 10:22 am

Can finally hear the telly without subtitles! Wife doesn't have to repeat herself anymore. Should've done this years ago instead of waiting for NHS. Worth every penny!👍

Title

Jim needed hearing aids. Boots said £3,500. NHS said 11 months. Then we found something we had to share.

"Dad, before you do anything, read this"

What David told us

What he found

We were still skeptical

They arrived in a few days

The first few weeks

Three months later

David was right

If you want to try them

Comments (4)

LEAVE A COMMENT